Swivel.



No.721,483. PATENTED FEB. 24; 1903.

' s. M. WELLS, JR-

SWIVEL.

ABPLIOATIORPILBD UNE 13, 1902. no MODEL.

UNITED STATES 'ATENT FFICE.

STEPHEN M. ELLS, JR, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT.

SWIVEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,483, dated February 24, 1903.

Application filed June 13,1902. steam. 111,524. (No model.) w

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN M. WELLS, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Bristo], Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swivels, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

My invention relates to a swivel; and my object is to simplify and improve the construction of the same.

My invention will be defined in the claims.

In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of one of the eye-forming bars; Fig. 2, a perspective View of a detail; Fig. 3, a perspective View of the coupling-piece before it is bent around the eye-forming bars. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the completed swivel, the coupling being shown in central vertical section; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the complete swivel.

In the above preferred embodiment, 1 is a bar of metal having one or more heads 2. I prefer to cutthis out of a flatsheet of metal, forming the heads by enlargements of the die, which avoids the necessity of spreading out the metal of the bar by a separate operation to form the head. This bar is bent around to form an eye. By eye I do not mean that the ends of the bar must be necessarily closed together. If the bar has a head at each end, it may be bent around till the heads lie together, as shown in Fig. 2. I prefer to form a similar eye 4 from a similar bar of metal, to which a chain or other device (not shown) may be attached; but this is not essential.

The coupling 5 may be formed of a single piece of sheet metal, in which a depression may be rolled or stamped, preferably at a short distance from each side edge, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to leave a flange 7 at each side of the depression. This piece of metal may then be bent loosely around the ends of the two eyes 1 and 4, as shown in Fig. 5, the line 8 indicating the juncture of the two end edges of the coupling-piece. The head will then form a circular internal depression loosely surrounding the heads, and each flange 7 will form a contracted portion between the head and eye which'is smaller than the head and will retain the heads in place, while allowing each eye to be rotated in the coupling. The

heads are preferably formed with a rounded edge to avoid unnecessary friction.

The parts may all be stamped out of the same flat sheet of metal, and as the couplingpieoe may be bent around the heads it avoids the necessity of forming the head after the eyeforming bar has been inserted in the coupling, and no rivets need be provided for fastening the parts. My swivel is therefore very simple in construction and cheap in manufacture, and yet is strong and attractive in appearance.

I am aware that many variations fromthe above construction may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed, and I therefore do not limit myself to the embodiment herein illustrated and described.

What I claim is 1. In a swivel in combination a plurality of bars ofmetal each having a head at one end and an eye beyond said heads, and a coupling consisting of a single piece of metal having a depression therein between its edges and loosely surrounding said heads, said heads lying in said depression and the portions of said coupling at the sides of said depression forming retaining-pieces for said heads.

2. -In a swivel in combination, a plurality of bars of metal each havingahead at each end thereof and forming an eye between said heads, and a coupling consisting of a single piece of metal having a depression therein between its edges and loosely surrounding said heads, said heads lying in said depression and the portions of said coupling at the sides of said depression forming retainingpieces for said heads. I

3. In a swivel in combination a plurality of flattened bars of metal, each of said bars having a flat head at each end and of the same thickness as said bar and rounded at the outer edge thereof, said bars each forming an eye with the flat faces of the heads of each bar lying together, and a coupling consisting of a single piece of metal having a depression therein a short distance from each edge to form a flange at each side of said depression, said coupling-piece loosely surrounding said heads and forming a circular internal depression, said heads lying in said depression, the

flanges at each side of said depression forming contracted portions between the heads and the eyes for retaining said heads in place.

4-. In a swivel in combination, a bar of metal having a flat head at each end thereof and an eye beyond said heads, the flat faces of said heads lying together, and a coupling having a depression therein and loosely surrounding said heads, said heads lying in said depression, said coupling forming an internal depression for said heads and a contracted portion between said heads and eye and smaller than said heads.

5. In a swivel in con'lbination, a bar of metal having a round-edged flat head at each end thereof and an eye between said heads, the flat faces of said heads lying together, and an integral coupling having a depression therein and loosely surrounding said heads, said heads lying in said depression, said coupling forming an internal depression for said heads and a contracted portion between said heads and eye and smaller than said heads.

Signed at Bristol, Connecticut, this 22d day of May, 1902. 4

STEPHEN M. WELLS, JR.

lVitnesses:

MARIE G. ANTER, GEO. D. CASTLE. 

